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Is it school time yet?

I can tell it’s time for school to start back. I go through the same symptoms every year- it’s like clock work and similar to catching a cold. First I start noticing irritation with my floors always being so grubby. Then I begin to feel a constant pressure to get people moving doing something because everyone seems to be stagnating in pj’s all day. Then I find myself frustrated by a constant last minute plan being thrown at me by a teenager to spend the night out or have a friend over with the mantra “c’mon mom- it’s summer!” tacked on to deflect my resistance. Finally I begin to want to go to bed earlier and make every one else follow suit. Yes indeed girls, this mama has summeritis!

It’s such a funny progression from relief to frustration back to relief every year. By May I am so completely “over” the school routine. We all are ready for a break and we sleep in late (by we I mean the children of course, the cat and I are still usually up!) don’t make our beds, we eat late dinners and disregard bedtimes in general. It’s delightful initially. Then slowly but surely relief gives way to messes. Lots of messes. And foodlessness. If you don’t know about this condition it’s when you are robbed of food by constantly hungry teenagers who eat at meal times and in between meal times and after meal times. Then I notice an internal feeling of being unsettled over the lack of structure. Are the kids getting their vitamins in the summer? Is Emma getting enough sleep? Am I requiring the boys be helpful and responsible enough? What are they all doing while I’m at work and they’re sitting at home?

So as the back-to-school shopping ad’s begin to appear, I find myself eagerly anticipating the return of “normal” and the break from our “break”.